


Because he Exists: An Inquest and Aftermath

by wrennette



Series: Trashpile: A Compendium of Unfinished Fics [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Fantastic Racism, WARNING: spousal abuse, Warning: Tobias Snape, non binary Severus, pre-Abraxas/Severus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 14:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrennette/pseuds/wrennette
Summary: In the scene by the lake, Severus never gets the chance to call Lily that horrid name, because he is dropped on his head and his neck is snapped. Severus will be in St. Mungo’s for months recovering and then relearning motor function, and while he’s away from Hogwarts, the Board of Governors has some questions.





	Because he Exists: An Inquest and Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Recognizable characters belong to JKR, OCs are mine. 
> 
> Discussion of bullying, spousal abuse, and fantasy racism.
> 
> Written prior to JKR's assignment of canonical parents for James Potter, and furnishing some of my own head canon for Eileen Prince and her reasons for leaving the wizarding world.

“Now, now, the boys are high spirited I know,” Dumbledore said genially. 

“High spirited?” Orion Black growled. “Headmaster Dumbledore, I know my son. And I know just as well that I have failed him. There is a boy lying in hospital with a broken neck. A boy who may never walk again. And why? Because he is Slytherin. Because, as memory will testify, _he exists_. The actions undertaken by Mr. Potter do not perhaps fit the characteristics of attempted murder. But they are within sneezing distance. And this is _after_ my own son has tried to kill the injured party with a werewolf, and the only party punished is the one injured. Forgive me if I do not see this as a simple case of _high spirits_.”

Murmuring swept through the other Governors, agreeing with Lord Orion. They were just as surprised though, that he was admitting his own part in the matters. But there was no question something had to be done. All of them were parents. All of them had heard the tales of the Marauders and their escapades. And while some might actually be mere pranks, pranks did not land a boy in hospital for months at a time while his spine and spinal cord were carefully regrown. Pranks did not carry with them the possibility that a boy might never walk again.

“If I may?” a quiet, quivering voice said, and the gathered Lords turned. A slender, black haired witch wearing an obvious glamourie looked back at them, trying her best not to cower. 

“Madam?” Edwin Potter asked politely if a bit stiffly. 

“Mrs. Snape, my Lord, born Eileen Prince, daughter of Caractacus Prince,” she introduced herself in a tentative voice. “I - I should like to speak on my son’s behalf,” she said, the tremour in her voice growing more pronounced, and becoming visible in her pale, slender frame. 

“Please come forward Madam Snape,” Augusta Longbottom said not unkindly. “You may speak from this seat here.”

“Thank you my Lady,” Eileen said, and came forward. She paused at the gate and made a quick but elegant curtsey, then entered the dock. “I swear by mother magic’s might that what I say be the truth as I know it,” she said, then laid her wand on the balustrade.

“Please Madam Snape,” Lady Augusta said gently, and Eileen nodded, then visibly steeled herself, pinning back her rounded shoulders and straightening her hunching spine. 

“My son has known all his life that he is a wizard, and I did my best to teach him some theory and brewing and the traditions before his letter came. It needs must be done in secret though, as I am shunned by my family, and my husband does not - does not like magic as it has no benefit for him. When my son was nine, he met a little girl in the neighborhood, Miss Evans, who proved to be a first generation witch. They were fast friends, but when the time came for Hogwarts, they were soon made targets of by young Mr. Potter and young Mr. Black.

“I - I am well aware of what is thought of my situation in the magical world. I was unable to send my son off as well as I might have liked. But we are no worse off than many. Unfortunately, the combination of our situation, Severus’ sorting, and his continuing friendship with Miss Evans have made him a continual target. When Severus has tried to walk away from confrontations, he ended up in the hospital wing. When he has stood up for himself and Miss Evans, who was persecuted by her own housemates for their friendship, he was punished by the professors who ought to protect him, on top of ending up in the hospital wing. 

“Yet I was not surprised when Severus never received justice. His Head of House will not stand up for him, because we are poor, and cannot buy the favor of the _magnanimous_ Master Slughorn,” Eileen sneered, her anger giving her the strength to speak so harshly of the politically minded Potions Master. “The Head of Gryffindor will not stand up for him, for she sees only that each time he meets with her charges, they end up causing trouble. The Headmaster will not stand up for him, because he refuses to acknowledge that these _high spirits_ are the same prejudice and bigotry that You Know Who spouts, simply under a different guise. 

“The esteemed Headmaster wonders why so many Slytherins join that terrible cause. He thinks it is because we are perhaps born this way, marinated in Dark Arts from the womb. He does not understand that many more would wish to remain out of the fight entirely, but he ostracizes them, pushes them forcefully from polite society. The Slytherins will continue to join the Dark Lord, because they are given no place in the Light that honours our ancient traditions. 

“My son is being forced ever further on a dangerous path. And why? Because he must defend himself four against one. Because he can depend on no wand or will but his own. Because the strongest spells are those most looked down upon, and yet when he uses them, he is seen as dangerous, and when young Mr. Black uses the same, it is _boyish high spirits_. 

“It is seen as a bit of a coup, perhaps, to have the scion of such a notoriously Dark family in Gryffindor, and publicly disclaiming the traditional mores he was raised with, in favor of mugglish ways. So young Mr. Black is cosseted, along with young Mr. Potter, who is scion of an equally pure, equally ancient line, simply with slightly different political positions. And because they are handsome and perhaps friendlier than my Severus, they are celebrated and rewarded for actions that would see any other student in detention, or suspended,” Eileen said, her eyes flashing. Orion Black flushed slightly, knowing it the truth.

“Moreover, the rest of House Slytherin follows the example of their Head. Severus came to school with a muggle name and second hand robes. Of course his housemates would not befriend him. There was no advantage in it. He was protected for a time, because the Prefects when he arrived knew it would not reflect well on them if a firstie were being badly hurt. But once young Mr. Malfoy left, he had only his own wits and skill to keep himself safe, and not only from classmates in other houses,” Eileen said darkly. 

“I will be the first to admit my son has been given far too long a leash whilst at school,” Lord Orion admitted. “And while I have a long list of excuses, I will submit only the first; most of these infractions have not garnered punishment from the school in the least, and therefore have not been reported to me that I might discipline my son in my own manner. 

“I agree however, with Mrs. Snape’s analysis of the situation with regard to the leeway granted my son. In effort to sway him to the side of the so called Light, they have let him run wild, and his actions are those of one who lets hate guide, which even us so called Dark families know is not a path one should walk,” Lord Orion said, dipping his head respectfully at Eileen. Eileen dipped her head in turn, having no argument against that. If the school would not inform a parent when a child misbehaved, they could not do their job.

“James also will be spending some time with me discussing this,” Lord Edwin bit out, embarrassed to have his son’s actions throw even the slightest shadow on the Potter family’s reputation.

“A discussion is well and good my Lord, but it does not unbreak my son’s head, nor repair the robes, books, and other supplies your boy’s ruined for him over the years, nor make up the grades on assignments your boy has tampered with or caused to go missing, nor retract the disciplinary record my son has on account of defending himself against yours,” Eileen said. 

“You both have let your sons become hooligans, with no respect for others well-beings or belongings. You might replace a robe as if it were nothing when those boys get in a scrape. Your boys might not need grades to earn a decent job one day. But what of my boy? What of the ridicule they heap on him for his poorly clothes, that they tear and dirty and ruin themselves? What of the detentions he must serve when he is defending himself, which will keep him from being respected when he applies for a position?”

“Lady Eileen raises valid questions,” Abraxas Malfoy said from his place near Lord Orion, according her the name she had known before her shunning. Like Edwin Potter and Orion himself, Abraxas was the son of a Lord, and therefore politely addressed as one himself. He knew quite well though that by the time his grandfather died, it might make more sense for his son to become Lord Malfoy than himself. 

“Even once young Mr. Snape is recovered, which hopefully he shall be, he shall be behind his classmates. Moreover, the actions of young Messrs Potter and Black have made it all but impossible for Mr. Snape to return to anything like a normal school life here at Hogwarts even once he does recover. He shall be the subject of rumor no matter what other outcomes this meeting determines.

“I know my own son, Lucius, has spoken very highly of Mr. Snape’s potioning ability. As Lucius did fairly well in the subject himself, I am willing to trust his word on the matter. But as Lady Eileen says, her son’s disciplinary record here is irrevocably tarnished, and I would wager that as Professor Slughorn has seen no reason to protect young Mr. Snape in any way, he is equally unwilling to help the boy further his studies, as one might hope a professor would when a student shows such talent,” Lord Abraxas drawled lazily.

“Do you have something to say, or are you simply going to rehash the same arguments?” Dumbledore asked not a little annoyedly. Lord Abraxas raised a pale, well groomed eyebrow, silently waiting for the Headmaster to huff and settle. 

“I would propose that the Potter and Black families bear the burden of ensuring that young Mr. Snape has first and foremost the very best medical treatment available so that his recovery be as rapid as is possible, and return him to the best possible condition. Along with footing the medical bills, I propose the Potter and Black families secure for Mr. Snape the very best tutors to keep him as up to date as possible with his academics. 

“If it should be warranted, I propose they also pay application, tuition, boarding, supplies, pocket money and so forth for Mr. Snape to attend the magical academy of his choice, should his grades be sufficient for admittance,” Lord Abraxas outlined. The others nodded along at the points they agreed with, and although Lord Edwin glowered, that was as much due to the suggestions coming from a Malfoy as anything else.

So it came to pass that Severus was removed from St. Mungo’s when he was stable, and brought to a small private hospital in Harrogate, where his mother could more easily visit him. He remained unconscious, comatose, for some time, and Eileen began to fear he might never wake. The mediwitches even brought him to the muggle hospital, so their fancy machines could take pictures of his brain and spine. 

Finally though, as his sixteenth birthday approached, after many spells, surgeries, and experimental treatments, Severus began to wake. His mother was, as ever, at his bedside. In the months since his injury, Eileen had finally got up the gumption to leave her husband. It helped that she had been able to speak to Abraxas, and while they had never been friends, his grandmother had been a Prince, and he was willing to help Eileen. So she now worked for Malfoy Apothecaire, mostly doing research so she could work from home. And home was now a tiny flat not far from the hospital, judiciously expanded with wizardspace inside. 

On the 14 of January, Severus’ eyes opened for the first time since the attack. Eileen, who had been watching him with half an eye for some time, immediately sent for the mediwitch, leaning over to speak soothingly to her son. Staring up at her, Severus saw a familiar but very different woman than the one he had known. Eileen had gained some much needed weight since leaving Tobias, and her wrinkles had faded precipitously. Her dark hair gleamed with health, and she actually looked her forty or so years, rather than the fifty or sixty she had seemed previously due to the stress of her living situation.

“Mama?” Severus asked quietly, and Eileen smiled sadly. He hadn’t called her mama in years, not since he was a very small boy. Almost as soon as he was away at Hogwarts he had begun trying to hide or disguise his northern accent and the Italian that Eileen had gifted him with from her own mother. 

“I’m here bambino,” Eileen murmured, gently brushing his dark hair back from his forehead. It had been shorn off almost entirely after the attack, and was only now just getting long enough to fall onto his face. She managed no more before the mediwitch bustled in, followed soon after by a Healer, and then Severus was being questioned and poked and prodded. He answered their questions confusedly, and finally the Healer and mediwitch went to consult with their colleagues. 

Eileen explained as gently as she could what had happened, not wanting to get her son worked up. He had his father’s temper, and while she had never been afraid of Severus, she was worried what an emotional outburst might do to her son. Severus took the news of his attack surprisingly well though, and to him, it was news. He had no memory of the day in question, and little memory of the week leading up to the attack. As he recovered, the memories might return, but there was no certainty to that. The brain was still largely a mystery to both muggles and the magical community.

Severus recovered rapidly, but not without a great deal of effort. His prolonged bedrest meant that therapy was needed to rebuild his strength, and the brain injury had impacted his speech, leaving him with a pronounced slur. So speech therapy was needed as well, and once he was given permission to amuse himself with reading, it became clear that doing so for any length of time caused almost crippling headaches for him. So that was added to the list of things to be remedied. It was, for Severus who had always been so independent, a distressingly long list. 

Slowly though, Severus improved. His speech and other therapy lessons were combined with academics and practical magic lessons as motivation, his knowledge of Latin, Goobledegook, and the various runic schemes increasing rapidly. He had to wear glasses for a time, and hated them, but they soon discovered that meditation and occlumency training helped lessen the frequency and intensity of his headaches. Eileen visited every day, and when Lily returned from Hogwarts for Easter break, she was brought along. 

At first, the two friends weren’t quite sure what to say to one another. With nearly a year of hindsight, Lily knew she had been failing her purported best friend for some time. She had tried to alleviate her guilt by telling herself it was simply that they had grown apart, but she knew that was a lie. She had begun to actually believe all the hateful things her housemates said about Slytherins, and had begun to apply those despised attributes to Severus, despite that she knew very well that he was neither arrogant nor a bully or bigot. He was awkward, and he was vicious when cornered, but she knew that he was unlikely to start trouble and cared little for blood purity. He’d also go along to get along, and looking back, she could see that his ‘friendships’ with the more bigoted boys in his house had simply been a way for Severus to protect himself and try to avoid unwelcome notice. 

Finally, after nearly an hour of awkwardness and false starts, Lily blurted out her apologies at what a horrid friend she felt she had been the previous year, and how it never should have come to Severus facing down four bullies by himself. Severus had already been told that the Potters and Blacks were paying for everything, and that his mother was beginning to be accepted once more in pureblood society. He had also been told about the further punishments the Board of Governors had meted out, which included what amounted to house arrest for Potter and Black, the stripping of Lupin’s prefect badge, probation for Dumbledore, and the loss of McGonagall and Slughorn’s positions as Heads of House. McGonagall had also lost her Deputy Headmistress title, and would likely never regain either position. 

Lily gabbed about the school for a spell; she had been rather a pariah within Gryffindor House this year, only the seventh year Prefect Alice Fawley sticking up for her. She had ended up focusing a great deal on her studies, and as such was at the top of the class. Her hours in the library had lead to tentative friendships with a few Ravenclaws, and a few of the Slytherin girls had eased off on her a bit as well. Lily came back the next day, and the next, and slowly they rebuilt their friendship. Severus apologized as well, feeling just as responsible for the distance that had sprung up between them. 

Too soon though, Lily had to go back to Hogwarts. Eileen remained Severus’ constant visitor though, and his speech therapist, a muggle born witch quietly suggested that both Severus and Eileen receive counselling. At first, both of them were rather defensive about the need to talk to someone about what they had undergone, in Eileen’s case at the hands of her family and husband, in Severus’, at the hands of his father and schoolmates. After a few more gentle conversations though, Eileen gave way, and once she’d had a few sessions, Severus could see the difference in her, and that was enough to convince him. 

They each had individual sessions, and after a while, joint sessions as well, because Eileen felt she had failed her son, and Severus didn’t much disagree. Both of them though, wanted a stronger relationship to one another. It was in one of their joint sessions, talking about the beginning of Eileen’s relationship with Tobias, that she confessed that she wasn’t even sure if Tobias was Severus’ father. 

Her mother, Eileen explained, had cheated on her husband with one of the Blacks. It wasn’t certain, but Eileen’s mother Lady Cosima had confessed the affair when Eileen came of age. Eileen’s long supposed father, Caractacus Prince, had beat them both soundly, and then raped them both. Eileen had managed to escape the house not long after, and had fallen in bed with the first man who looked at her twice. That man had been Tobias Snape. 

Severus, whose innate curiosity had not yet been beaten out of him, immediately wanted to find out his actual parentage. While he was in no way enthusiastic about the prospect of being related to the Blacks so closely, and while he despised what little he knew of Caractacus Prince, he despised Tobias Snape even more. If there was a chance he wasn’t truly a Snape, and moreover was a pureblood, he wanted to know. While he didn’t care much one way or the other about blood purity, he knew other people did, and it might make his life a lot easier if he was irrefutably pure blooded.

For Eileen, who had long ago reconciled that there was about a chance her son was also her brother, there was less motivation to find out for certain. But she did acquiesce to Severus’ wishes, and promised to make a pair of bloodline potions they could use. It took about a week of brewing, then a few days of curing, but soon enough, Severus was adding seven drops of blood and three hairs from his head to the first potion. 

Eileen carefully poured that potion out on a rather expensive sheet of vellum, and then performed a series of complex charms over it before inscribing a long string of runes about the edge. They let the vellum dry, and then Eileen handed Severus the second potion. To this one, he added thirteen drops of blood. It turned black with a gleaming sheen on the surface, as it was supposed to, and then Eileen upended the vial over the prepared vellum. The vellum sucked the second potion in, and for a long moment, remained utterly blank. Slowly though, names and lines began scribing themselves in the surface. 

Steeling herself, Eileen swallowed nervously and began to read. She closed her eyes almost immediately, sagging back in her chair. Her mother had been correct in her fears. She was no Prince, but a Black of the blood, the only daughter of Regulus I, now over fifteen years dead. And Severus was himself a Prince, not a Snape, the result of that rape, although thankfully, if there was any blessing in this cesspit, not the product of incest.

“I shall ask Lord Abraxas to speak to Lords Prince and Black on our behalf,” Eileen said quietly, and Severus nodded, the reality of his ancestry rather less welcome now that it was confirmed. Rather to Severus’ surprise, Lord Abraxas came himself, and brought Lucius, now graduated and training with his grandfather the Lord Malfoy, with him. Lucius seemed quite eager for company his own age, and far less of a prejudiced snot than Severus remembered. Far less smarmy to boot. 

It seemed the world outside Hogwarts had rather overwhelmed the blonde at first, as he was quite used to being the only shark in a small pool of very small fishes and having his every whim indulged. Lord Malfoy though, was in no way an indulgent man, and he worked Lucius hard. At Hogwarts, Lucius could coast along. Under his grandfather’s tutelage, there was no such thing, and he was also forced to reconcile his lazy bigotry with the actual traditionalist platform, and the reality that while they could despise muggles all they liked, without muggleborns, their magic would be bred right out of them. 

Abraxas’ age, Lucius confided, was not the only reason Lord Malfoy would be pleased to let the Lordship skip a generation. Evidently Abraxas and the rising Dark Lord had been schoolmates, and moreover housemates. Lord Malfoy was rather leery of allowing Abraxas unfettered access to the family vaults, on the presumption that doing so would result in the Dark Lord owning the future of the family. While the old man might be a staunch traditionalist himself, he had seen enough of the world to think that the rising Dark Lord was a nasty little pustule that deserved to be stomped. And if Lucius wished to be Lord Malfoy, well, he would toe the line. 

Lucius admitted quietly that he had been invited to a recruiting session and met the Dark Lord, and that, more than his grandfather’s teachings, had decided him. While Voldemort talked a good talk, he was a repulsive man physically, magically, and psychically. Just being near him had left Lucius feeling rather ill, and they had barely scratched the surface of the man’s egotistical zealotry. 

Severus was fairly sure that when Lucius had left Hogwarts a few years previous, he had been intent on joining the Dark Lord at the first opportunity. The change in worldview the blonde had undergone was rather staggering. It did make Severus feel a bit better though. They had remained in touch for a bit via owl post, but it had been some time since they spoke. Severus had had a difficult time though, reconciling the last few letters with the protective if slightly smarmy Prefect that had looked after him his first few years of formal schooling. 

After that first visit, Severus received fairly regular visits from Lucius. Evidently Lord Malfoy was in talks to betrothe Lucius to the youngest of the Black sisters, Narcissa, who had been a year behind him in school. Severus remembered her. The eldest Black girl had graduated before Severus was at Hogwarts, and was reportedly as insane as she was beautiful. His first year, the middle sister had been a sixth year Slytherin Prefect. She had subsequently eloped with the Head Boy of her class, a muggleborn Hufflepuff. The youngest had been in fourth year when Severus was a firstie, and later become an extremely ineffective Prefect.

A few weeks after Lord Abraxas and Lucius visited, Eileen and Severus were rather surprised to have the Lords Black and Prince show up together, and unannounced. Severus had never met either of them before, but their identities were easily and immediately apparent. Despite being many years older, Lord Black was obviously the source of Sirius’ looks. His once black hair was a dark steel grey, falling in loose waves around his broad shoulders. 

Severus saw that he was himself very much a Prince in looks, from his straight hair to his rather prodigious nose. Lord Prince’s hair had gone almost fully white, him being a generation Lord Black’s senior, but he was obviously hale and hearty still. Eileen ended up closeted with the two old wizards for much of the day, and was rather wan and drawn looking when she returned to Severus’ bedside with them following behind. 

“From the act that caused you to be here, it is clear my grandson Sirius is no good candidate to lead the House of Black forward,” Lord Black said rather stentoriously. “It is clear also that while Regulus the second may be a more cautious choice, I cannot rely upon Lord Orion and Lady Walburga to oversee his training, especially as Lord Cygnus has fallen into the thrall of this Voldemort character,” the sneer in his voice was quite impressive upon the Dark Lord’s name, making his opinion on the man quite clear. 

“Despite such, there is still an Heir to House Black,” the Lord Prince said, his voice quieter but deeper, and slightly raspy. “I have outlived all my Heirs save Caractacus, who has proved himself unfit by his actions against your Lady mother and grandmother. As such, he shall be secluded in one of the smaller houses adjacent to the estate, _en damnatio memoriae_. The Lady Eileen shall be Invested in the House of Black, as she is of their blood and magic. If she should marry again, that shall be her decision. 

“Irregardless, you, young Severus, shall be my Heir. It is known that you wish to complete your schooling, and such is very much encouraged. Information shall be procured for you from the various European academies. In the summer though, you shall come to Stormholme, and there be Invested in the family magics, and taught in the ways of an Heir of the House. In the past, when members of our House have not been schooled at Hogwarts, we have favored the Italian and Greek academies, but whichever best suits you shall be your school.”

“Thank you my Lord,” Severus said softly, not sure of the protocol for addressing these men. “I - will my mother and I be separated then? If she is to be of the House of Black?”

“While she is to be of the House of Black, I would not keep a mother from her child,” Lord Black said rather gently. “She shall be free to make her home either with me at the Black seat, of Grimsthorpe, or at Stormholme, the Prince seat, and should she chose Grimsthorpe, she and you shall have the liberty of the place, and need no excuse to leave save desire to see her to do so.” Severus nodded at that. He half wouldn’t blame his mother if she chose to live with the Blacks, as he had the impression that even before the rape, Caractacus hadn’t been much of a father, nor Stormholme much of a sanctuary. 

Severus remained in the hospital for quite a few months after he awoke, but with Lucius visiting at least once a week, and the addition of occasional visits from Lord Black and Prince on top of his extensive physical therapy, speech therapy, and tutoring, the time wasn’t too interminable. When summer came, it brought visits from Lily, which was even better. Even so, it was well into September of what should have been Severus’ seventh year when he was released from the hospital. Severus had already decided on a school, but he would join them the following year, giving him the interim to finish recovering and also start his Heirship training. 

Eileen had long since given up her little flat near the hospital and accepted the place offered by the Lord Black at Grimsthorpe, but she moved with Severus to Stormholme when he was released. Socially, she had become Lady Eileen once more, and while no one spoke much of her current or former circumstance, the majority of the purebloods knew about both her and Severus’ true parentage. It was a rather interesting time for Severus. He had been taught basic manners by his mother, but never much employed them, and now found himself being trained in exceedingly strict and arcane manners that the majority of wizards and witches no longer used.

But the mediwitches and Healers had, in addition to fixing Severus’ skull and spine, and the old injuries that had never before been treated, had also identified part of the reason he was so small and slightly built. While it had not appeared in generations, male fertility was not uncommon in the Prince line, and Severus was magically strong enough to exhibit the traits. He had learned Occlumency rapidly as part of his therapy, and the mind arts were often linked in the Prince line with fertility and a few other rare traits. As a result, Lord Prince coached Severus in a very specific subset of manners and behaviors, and began encouraging him to think about what type of wizard he might like for a mate.

Severus was a little off-put at first, by the assumption that since he was capable of carrying children, he would end up with a man. Finally Lord Prince sat him down in the office, and explained rather stiffly that Severus would find that he would go through a sort of secondary puberty between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one, and that by twenty one, he would lose any interest in females that he might currently entertain. In fact, Lord Prince pointed out that Severus’ aversion to homosexuality was an entirely muggle attitude, as even wizards who did not boast fertility as a bloodline trait could conceive and carry a child with the right potions regimen. 

Having long assumed his deep affection for Lily was due to loving her romantically, Severus needed to do rather a bit of soul searching after that. It was true that he had never had a physical reaction to a girl. But he had assumed he was a late bloomer, and never really talked about it. His therapist, who he still saw intermittently, was a great help to him in talking through his internalized homophobia, most of which stemmed from his fear of his father, who made ten bigoted remarks before he dressed in the morning, and who had denigrated Severus frequently for being ‘a sissy.’

While Severus wouldn’t have a ‘coming out’ ball the way some pureblood girls did, Lord Prince did quietly begin to let people knew Severus was fertile. When Severus was well enough to stand for a few hours at a time, the Lord Prince’s couturier was sent for, and his measurements taken. The trying on and fitting of Severus’ new wardrobe seemed to take forever, all of the new clothes being very traditional, and varying from the same type of robes any pureblood wizard might wear to robes that were much more feminine in their styling.

Severus found, despite his still adjusting mindset, that he actually quite preferred some of the more feminine designs. He had never had nice new clothes, and the more femininely styled robes were prettier and fancier than the more traditionally male ones. So he flushed and for his formal robes selected deep purple and indigo and loden green rather than the traditional wizarding black, and when the couturier was done, a cosmetic potioneer was sent for to produce custom potions for Severus’ hair and skin and even his teeth, which had, along with his nose, been straightened while he was in hospital. 

Once Lord Prince was satisfied with Severus’ knowledge of politics and his manners, and the clothes were ready, Severus began accompanying the old man to social functions. From his first appearance, men with particular leanings sought him out, and Severus, who had always been told by everyone but his mother and Lily how plain if not downright ugly he was, found himself being flirted with quite solicitously. It was rather bizarre to him, and he had to very quickly learn how to first, not blush like a schoolgirl, and second, flirt back without promising anything. 

As Severus slowly became more comfortable socializing, old Lord Prince mentally congratulated himself on the discovery of the boy’s fertility. It seemed that being allowed to submit, being encouraged in it even, suited Severus quite well. He began to smile more easily, and soon began learning from the more kindly witches things that a girl would learn at her mother’s knee, how to dress his lengthening hair, and dissuade a wizard with roving hands.

Lord Prince soon noticed a tendre on his great grandson’s part, and it was a fondness that he would never have anticipated. But the widowed Abraxas Malfoy was handsome, and it was clear that the blonde had a distinct fondness for Severus as well. In truth, they made a handsome couple, and Lord Prince knew, as it seemed everyone did, that Abraxas would never be permitted to become Lord Malfoy. The trouble was, Lord Prince wasn’t sure the man would be willing to give up not only any chance of the title, but his family name, as he would permit no match for Severus but one that preserved the Prince name.

 

* * *

“I have noticed the way Father watches you,” Lucius said as he walked with Severus one evening, and Severus blushed softly. “Be wary Severus. I do not doubt he is fond of you, but we all know that Lord Prince means to have you bonded morganatically. My father has always taken a great deal of pride in the Malfoy name.”

“I thank you for your warning,” Severus said gently, leaning slightly on Lucius’ arm. “I - I cannot help but be wary though. Even if he were not who he is, I am wary of all men.” Lucius sighed softly and gathered the smaller wizard into his arms. 

“I wish I could have protected you better,” Lucius murmured gently, and Severus slowly melted against him, savoring his friend’s affection. “You may always depend on me darling.”

“I know,” Severus said gently, and leaned up, softly kissing Lucius’ cheek. They walked together back up to the house, and Severus blushed hotly when Abraxas’ path crossed theirs. The older blonde had obviously been out for a ride, and he was stunningly handsome in his hunting costume. Cream breeches clung to his strong thighs, gleaming tan leather boots encasing elegant feet and calves. He wore the traditional bright red jacket of the foxhunt, and his hair, a shade more golden than Lucius’, was caught back in a neat queue with a dark crimson ribbon.

“Lucius, Heir Prince, will you be joining us for tea?” Abraxas greeted somewhat brusquely, his clear grey eyes fixed on Severus’ slightly flushed face. 

“I’m afraid I have a prior obligation Lord Abraxas,” Severus murmured politely, which was true. He was due at Grimsthorpe for the evening meal, and needed to change from his day robes into more formal wear. 

“A pity,” Abraxas murmured. “I shall see you out,” he declared, and knowing quite well when he wasn’t wanted, Lucius retreated, passing Severus’ slender hand to his father. Abraxas raised the long, gloved fingers and kissed them, deepening Severus’ blush. 

“My Lord,” Severus whispered, and then his mouth was taken as he was pulled into an entirely inappropriate embrace. He didn’t fight though, melting against the large blonde with a moan of wanton submission. He felt hot and wet and empty between the legs, and knew he would ruin his underclothes. One of Abraxas’ large hands descended to cup Severus’ bottom and rub at his crease, the other tracing his lips. 

Severus moaned, knowing he needed to get away, but unable to fight his racing desire. Abraxas’ gloved finger pressed against Severus’ lips, and he suckled the appendage in, moaning against the soft, buttery leather. Abraxas’ other hand tightened on Severus’ bottom, pressing against his pucker, and with a soft whimper, Severus came helplessly, collapsing against Abraxas as he had his first conscious orgasm. 

“Beautiful,” Abraxas panted, caressing Severus’ buttocks more tenderly. “Such a beautiful boy. I know what they say my beauty, but you have my word of honour, I shall seek Lord Prince within the week, and abjure the Malfoy name. I would be your husband, your consort.”

“Oh,” Severus breathed, staring up at the handsome blonde and feeling utterly flustered and yet detached from himself, as if this were happening to someone else entirely. Abraxas kissed Severus once more, far more chastely, and then gently helped the younger wizard set himself to rights before sending him off through the floo. Abraxas flushed softly when the fire returned to normal, lifting the fingers that Severus had suckled and tracing his own mouth. He had never felt so strongly before in his life. 

Abraxas’ suit was common knowledge almost immediately, and there was quite a bit of murmuring regarding the canniness of the man, as most could easily see that Abraxas’ son was being groomed to be the next Lord Malfoy. The match would not make Abraxas Lord Prince though, not even after the old man died. Severus was the Heir, and while he would be sexually submissive to whichever wizard he bonded, he would retain his title and power over his estates. Abraxas, whose first match had been political, couldn’t bring himself to care about either the title or the knowledge he would not be Head of his new House.

Even before the match had been made, Abraxas began distancing himself from his former schoolmate, the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort. He knew very well that his feelings on muggleborns would not be welcomed by the little wizard he hungered for, and as he got to know Severus better, and also Miss Evans who Lady Eileen had sponsored into society, he began to understand how very erroneous his notions were. While it was true that Miss Evans was still somewhat ignorant of aspects of the wizarding world, she was eager to learn. She had some prejudices herself of course, but Abraxas could also see how she was like a sister to his coveted Lord Severus.

As was socially acceptable, the betrothal was made official with a large society ball. Their bonding would take place in at least a year and a day, possibly longer, as Abraxas had promised that they would only wed when Severus was ready. The ball itself was the social event of the year. Severus was dressed in the palest lavender, purple being the traditional color for the Prince family. His jewelry, an extravagant amethyst and diamond collar necklace with matching brooch and ring, had been his betrothal gift from Abraxas. Despite having excised himself from House Malfoy, Abraxas had made himself an independently wealthy man.

By the end of the evening, it became apparent that Severus was not the only one being pursued. Lady Eileen was sought by Lord Rufus, the Scrimgeour Heir and a distinguished Auror. She was not yet forty herself, and still capable of bearing children. It would be a good match if they were well suited, and everyone was well aware that Eileen would chose her own husband if and when she wished to wed again. 

Severus, who was not in school that year, spent a great deal of time with his betrothed. They were always chaperoned, as was proper. Abraxas would sneak the occasional kiss and overly friendly touch, but anything further would cause their chaperone to clear their throat loudly. Once, when Abraxas didn’t heed the warning, he was hit with a powerful stinging hex, not unlike when he had been scolded by the nanny elf as a boy. Severus was more than willing to allow his betrothed intimacy, despite that he knew he ought discourage Abraxas until they were bonded. But he had never felt so desired, so desirable, as when he was in Abraxas’ strong arms. 

When the first of September came around, Severus was in Venice, at the Italian’s national school of magic. He had made extensive comparisons of the various schools to which he might apply, and Italy’s Stregheria was the one that ended at the top of his list. Technically a school for witches, Italian wizards attending Gorgona, they also accepted the rare fertile male. As Severus was still nervous around most men and even older boys, he felt that a place where he would be the only male would be less stressful.

**Author's Note:**

> reformatted from a chapter in a multifandom fic to standalone. If you commented on the previous fic, thank you, I appreciate it even though the comments have been deleted.


End file.
